MLB
The New York Mets have reeled off a six-game winning streak to match the best nine-game start in franchise history.
The Mets are a National League-best 8-1 after Noah Syndergaard allowed one earned run over six innings of a 4-2 victory at Miami. Syndergaard stranded four runners in scoring position before New York received three shutout innings from its bullpen.
Closer Jeurys Familia gave up a single and double before striking out Miguel Rojas and Starlin Castro to pick up the save.
Adrian Gonzalez and Jay Bruce each had an RBI single off Marlins ace Jose Urena, who allowed three runs in five innings.
The announced crowd of 7,003 was by far the smallest in the seven-season history of Marlins Park.
Elsewhere in the majors:
The Diamondbacks earned a 2-1 win at San Francisco behind Zack Godley, who fanned nine and held the Giants to four hits and no walks in seven shutout innings. Paul Goldschmidt laced an RBI triple in a two-run first that sent Arizona to its sixth victory in seven games. The Diamondbacks' 8-2 start matches their best after 10 games.
Max Scherzer fired a two-hitter and had his first career stolen base in leading the Nationals' 2-0 whitewash of the Braves. Scherzer struck out 10 in his fifth career shutout and ninth complete game. Howie Kendrick's two-run double in the first inning was enough offense for Washington to end a five-game losing streak and climb back to .500.
Greg Holland made his Cardinals debut and promptly walked four batters in the 10th inning to force in the lead run in a 5-4 loss to the Brewers. Holland signed with the Redbirds on opening day after tying for the NL lead with 41 saves for Colorado last season. Orlando Arcia doubled home a run and worked out the go-ahead walk for Milwaukee.
Pitcher Clayton Richard homered into the second deck at Coors Field and Carlos Asuaje went deep one batter later while the Padres scored five times in the fourth inning of a 7-6 win over the Rockies. Richard allowed four runs over five innings of San Diego's third win in 11 games. Carlos Gonzalez hit a disputed two-run homer to get Colorado within 7-6, leading to the ejection of Padres manager Andy Green.
Nick Williams' pinch-hit solo homer in the eighth inning was the difference in the Phillies' 6-5 triumph over the Reds. Scott Kingery homered for the first time in his career and Rhys Hoskins also went deep for Philadelphia. The Phils squandered a 5-3 lead before winning for the third time in four games.
Corey Kluber struck out 13 while firing two-hit ball over eight innings of the Indians' 2-0 shutout of the Tigers. Kluber gave up singles to Victor Martinez in the second and Nicholas Castellanos in the fourth while throwing 103 pitches under a gametime temperature of 33 degrees. Bradley Zimmer's two-run blast broke a scoreless tie in the fifth inning.
The Astros also earned a 2-0 win at Minnesota as Justin Verlander scattered three hits while striking out nine over seven innings. Verlander improved to 11-1 in 14 regular and postseason games since being traded to Houston last season. Carlos Correa had two hits and scored twice to help the Astros get to 9-2, matching their best 11-game start.
Albert Pujols hit his 616th career homer and Martin Maldonado had a pair of RBI singles as the Angels slammed the Rangers, 8-3. Pujols also singled to get within 19 of 3,000 hits. The Angels have tied the best 11-game start in club history, improving to 8-3 for the first time in 31 years.
Steve Pearce homered in a third successive game and Josh Donaldson tacked on a ninth-inning grand slam as the Blue Jays dumped the Orioles, 7-1. Pearce belted a two-run shot in the third inning against his former team. Winning pitcher J.A. Happ gave up a run and five hits while fanning nine over six innings of the Blue Jays' seventh win in nine games since an 0-2 start.
Jakob Junis carried a no-hit bid into the seventh and ran his season-opening scoreless streak to 14 innings in the Royals' 10-0 pounding of the Mariners. Junis didn't allow a hit until Daniel Vogelbach's grounder up the middle with one out in the seventh. Kansas City scored more runs than it had in its last six games combined, with Mike Moustakas capping the assault with a homer off infielder Taylor Motter.
The White Sox fell to 0-4 at home and 3-6 overall with a 5-4 loss to the Rays. Mallex Smith went 4-for-4 with an RBI triple as Tampa Bay ended an eight-game losing streak that followed a season-opening comeback win over the Red Sox. Smith tied a career high for hits, Joey Wendle slammed his first homer of the season and Matt Duffy delivered a pair of RBI singles to help David Archer get the victory.
The Cubs' home opener against the Pirates was pushed back to Tuesday because of snow that covered much of Wrigley Field.
The Yankees will go against the Red Sox Tuesday in Boston at 7 p.m. and The Mets will play the Marlins at 7:10 p.m.
In other major league news:
Angels starter JC Ramirez will miss the rest of this season because of a torn ulnar collateral ligament. Tommy John surgery has been recommended for the right-hander, who recorded a 9.45 ERA in two starts this year after missing the final six weeks of last season due to a partially-torn UCL. Ramirez was 11-10 in 27 games last year.
Red Sox shortstop Xander Bogaerts was put on the 10-day disabled list with a cracked bone in his left ankle. The team says an MRI confirmed the injury today. The injury is non-displaced and won't require surgery. He is expected to miss 10-14 days. Bogaerts left Sunday's 8-7 win over Tampa Bay after injuring his ankle while sliding into the Rays' dugout.
The Orioles have recalled 2013 first-round pick Hunter Harvey from Double-A Bowie to bolster their weary bullpen. The son of former big league pitcher Bryan Harvey had never pitched above Class A and is about two years removed from Tommy John surgery. Harvey is 7-8 with a 2.56 ERA in 38 minor league starts since being drafted 22nd overall in the 2013 draft.
The Rays have placed second baseman Brad Miller on the 10-day disabled list because of a strained left groin. The ballclub has filled the roster spot by selecting right-hander Ryan Weber's contract from Triple-A Durham.
NHL
After firing Coach Alain Vigneault, the New York Rangers have dismissed two of his top assistants.
Rangers general manager Jeff Gorton says that associate coach Scott Arniel and Darryl Williams were let go on Sunday. Gorton said Lindy Ruff is still on staff and intends to speak with him before deciding on his future.
The Rangers went 226-147-37 in five years under Vigneault, making the playoffs four times and reaching the Stanley Cup Final in his initial season in 2014. They finished last in the Metropolitan Division this season and missed the playoffs for the first time since 2010, leading to the house-cleaning behind the bench.
In other NHL news:
Chicago forward Patrick Kane has been named captain for Team USA at the upcoming IIHF World Hockey Championship in Denmark. Kane last played at the world championships in 2008, his first in the NHL and the last time the Blackhawks missed the playoffs.
NBA
The Cleveland Cavaliers got a few things accomplished in their 123-109 win over the Knicks in New York. The Cavs clinched the Central Division title and home-court advantage in the first round of the NBA playoffs while reaching the 50-win plateau. They also pulled within a half-game of Philadelphia for the third seed in the East.
LeBron James provided 26 points and 11 assists, while Kevin Love finished with a game-high 28 points.
J.R. Smith and Jordan Clarkson added 16 points apiece for the Cavaliers, who made 19 3-pointers and won for the ninth straight time at Madison Square Garden.
The Cavs close their regular season Wednesday against New York.
Checking out Monday's other NBA action:
Karl-Anthony Towns contributed 24 points and 18 boards as the Timberwolves thumped the Grizzlies, 113-94 to move a step closer to their first playoff berth since 2004. Jeff Teague chipped in 24 points and Jimmy Butler added 15 in Minnesota's second straight win.
The Nuggets won their sixth in a row to remain tied with the Wolves for the final Western Conference playoff berth with one game remaining. Nikola Jokic had a triple-double of 15 points, a season-high 20 rebounds and 11 assists as Denver held off Portland, 88-82. The Nuggets take on the Timberwolves in a winner-take-all finale Wednesday in Minnesota.
The Thunder wrapped up a playoff berth as Paul George hit for 27 points and Russell Westbrook posted his 25th triple-double of the season in a 115-93 rout of the Heat. Westbrook finished with 23 points, 18 rebounds and 13 assists for Oklahoma City, which won easily despite missing its first 10 shots and trailed by 18 in the opening minutes.
Rudy Gay scored 18 points and Manu Ginobili had 17 as the Spurs rallied to beat the Kings, 98-85 and clinch their 21st straight playoff berth. Backups Gay, Ginobili and Bryn Forbes combined for 25 points while San Antonio outscored Sacramento, 38-19 in the fourth quarter.
The Pelicans claimed their first postseason berth in three years with a 113-100 decision over the Clippers in Los Angeles. Anthony Davis scored 28 points in New Orleans' fourth straight win, while teammate Nikola Mirotic added 24 points and 16 boards.
Jonas Valanciunas scored 25 points and the Raptors opened the fourth quarter with a 13-0 run to pull away in a 108-98 victory over the Pistons. Valenciunas shot 11-for-13 before sitting out the final period. Detroit owner Tom Gores said at halftime that he's undecided about the future of Coach Stan Van Gundy after the team missed the playoffs for the second straight season.
The Bucks were 102-86 winners over the Magic in the final regular-season game at Milwaukee's Bradley Center. Shabazz Muhammad scored a season-high 22 points and Eric Bledsoe had a triple-double of 20 points, 12 boards and 11 assists in the victory.
The Nets knocked off the Bulls, 114-105 behind Allen Crabbe's 41 points. D'Angelo Russell had 21 points and 11 assists, and Spencer Dinwiddie scored 20 points to help Brooklyn earn its season-high third straight win.
COLLEGE BASKETBALL
Kentucky freshman point guard Shai Gilgeous-Alexander says he will enter the NBA draft pool and hire an agent.
The 6-foot-6 Gilgeous-Alexander had a team-high 189 assists and was Kentucky's No. 2 scorer at 14.4 points per game last season. He is projected as a first-round selection and possible lottery pick.
Elsewhere in College Basketball:
A federal lawsuit has been filed against Michigan State University and three former men's basketball players by a female student.
The woman accuses the players of sexually assaulting her at an off-campus apartment in April 2015 after meeting the three at a local bar.
Neither the name of the woman, nor the players, is listed in the suit filed Monday in U.S. District in Grand Rapids.
NFL
Police say Green Bay Packers wide receiver Trevor Davis has been arrested after falsely claiming to have explosives while checking in for a flight at Los Angeles International Airport.
An airport police spokesman said Davis was checking in for a Hawaiian Airlines flight when an airline employee asked him whether he had any explosives in his bag.
Pedregon said Davis said "yes" and asked a woman he was traveling with, "Did you pack the explosives?"
In other NFL news:
The Giants have opened their first organized team activities under new coach Pat Shurmur with star receiver Odell Beckham Jr. in the building. The new coach didn't know how much of the voluntary activities Beckham planned to attend nor the condition of his left ankle.
Quarterback Andrew Luck says his surgically repaired right shoulder feels good, and he hopes to be on the field when the Colts open training camp this summer. And he partially blames his desire to come back too soon for the prolonged rehab process.
The Lions have bolstered their backup options at quarterback and receiver by signing signal-caller Matt Cassel and wideout TJ Jones.
The Jets have signed free agent wide receiver Charles Johnson and linebacker Kevin Minter. Johnson has 60 career catches for 834 yards and two touchdowns.
The Cowboys have signed defensive end Kony Ealy to a one-year deal, four years after he was taken in the second round of the draft. Ealy has 15 career sacks but recorded just one with the Jets last season.
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